National Republican., 1887-11-28
"Burled IN sorrow and in sin
At helps dark door we lay;
But we arise by grace Divine,
10 zoo a nlnrlniin Hnu "

Buried IN sorrow and In sin
AT helps dark door we lay;
But we arise by grace Divine,
To see glorious day."
The subject Of the sermon was "Thirst in
Cavern" and the text: oh, that one would
give me drink Of the water of the well Of
Bethlehem which is by the gate"::-2 Samuel
xiii 10.
War, always distressing, Is especially ruin
GUS In harvest time When the crops are all
ready for the SICKLE to have them trodden
down by cavalry horses and heavy supply
trains outlying the fields, is enough to make
any mans hear tsck When the last great war
many were coming into horrid collision /
rode across their golden harvests, and saw
the tents pitched and the trenches dug In the
s he Ipe nedS tns long ssne %
men In great winrows OF the dead. II was at
this season of the harvest that thel army of the
Phillislines came down upon Bethlehem.
ing of their chargers the blare of their trum-
peis, and the clash of their shields
Let David and his men fall back! The Lords
host sometimes loses the day. But David knew
where to.hde. He mad been brought up In
that country. Boys are inquisltive, and they
know all about the region where. they were
tothe, old homestead you could, with yoir
eyes shut, find your way to the meadoS, or the
orchard, or the hill back Of the house, with
ago. SO David knew the cave Of Adullam.
Perhaps, in his boyhood days, he, had played
"hide and-scek" with his comrades all about
have known ii, David did. Travellers say
there is only one way of getting into that cave,
and that is by very narrow path; but David
nerved and so, with his three brave
staff officers, he goes along that path,
finds his way into the cave. sits down,
looks around at the roof and the dark passages
forced march, and water he must have or die.
do not know but there may have been drops
t.ickling down the side of the cavern, or that
skin slung to his girdle; but that was not what
he. wanted. He wanted a deep. full, cold
drink, such as man gets only outof IN old
well with moss. covered bucket. David re-
membered that very near that cave of Adul-
lam there was such well as that "a well to
which he used to so in boyhood-t well of
Bethlehem; and he almost imagines that he
can hear the liquid plash of that well, and his
parched tongue moves through his hot lips rs
he says, "Oh, that one would give me drink of
the water Of i the well OF Bethlehem which is
It was no sooner said than done. The three
brave slaii:otlicers bound to their feet and
start. Brave soldiers will take even hint
from their commander. But between them
and the we'll lay the host Of the Philistlnes;
and what could three men do with great
way, and, with their swords slashing this way
and that, they make their path to the well.
While the Philistines are amazed at the SEEM
Ing ,,SI or these three men and
means, the three men have come to the well.
They drop the bucket, They bring up the
water They Poqr it IL the pail and then
Phiiistines. dCiip them with your
swords Stab them with your spears Stop
those three men" Too late They have got
around the hill. The hot rocks are splashed
with the overlooking water from the vessel as
IL is carried UP the ellis; The three men go
along the, dangerous path, and, with, cheeks
breath in their haste. they tling their swords red
with the skirmish, TO the side of the cave, and
cry out TO David, There, captain of the host
Bethlehem, which Is by the gate"
"A test. is Of no use to me unless can find
Christ In 1t, and unless can bring a Gospel
@ al and ss bless shall S wish hsa newer seem
against my soul the dark record would be
dlenoe Of SHINING, suffering, md dying men.
and told them of no rescue. By the cross of
the Son of God, by the throne Of the eternal
Judgment, that shall @ not be May the Lord
You know that carrier pigc0ls have soma-
times letters tied under the wing. and they fly
hundreds of milestone hundrt miles IN an
hOur-carrying message SO have thought
would like to have 1t now. oh. heavenly
Dove bring under thy wing today, to my
soul and 10 the souls of his people. some mes.
II Is not an unusual thing to see people
gather around well in summer time. The
husbandman puts down his cradle Mt the well
curb The builder puts down his trowel.
The traveller puts down his pack, Then one
draws the water for all the rest, himself TAX
ing the very last The cup is passed around,
and the fires of thirst are put out: the ira veler
starts on his journey, and the workman takes
up his burden.
My, friends, we come to-day around the
gospel well. We put down our pack of bur
in m
must draw the water for those who have
6ashefsSd RED Ssior SsoMnd t9s we'll WI, Try AMI
poured out from this living fountain for YOUR
Soul, just taste of it myself you VIII not be-
grudge me a drink from the water Of the
well Of Dethlehsm; which Is BY the gate"
the text, is a well OF Bethlehem. David had
known hundreds of wells Of water, but he
wanted TO drink from that particular one,
like that. And unless your soul and mine
can get access to the Fountain open for sin
and uncleanliness,, we must die. That foun.
IN the night. 1t was dug by the light of a
lantern-the star that hung down over the
manger. y was dug not at the gate Of Cnsar's
gain maker. 1t was dug in barn. The
camels lifted their weary heads 10 listen as the
work went on, The shepherds, unable to
bands of music, came down to see the opening
Of the well. The angels Of God, at the first gush
of the living water, dipped their chalices
Of loE into IT, and drank to the health Of earth
the highest, and on earth peace" Sometimes
IN our modern barns the water is brought
through the pipes Of the city to the very nos
trils Of the horses and cattle; but this well in
the Bethlehem barn was not SO much for the
beasts that perish as for our race thirst
sMitten, deseft-traveled, and slmoon.strurx.
drink Today out OF that Bethlehem well
"As the hart panteth after the water brooks,
SO my soul panteth after Thee, Cod YOU
would get better understanding OF this amidst
the Adirondacks in summer time. Here comes
a swift footed deer. The hounds are close on
the track; IL has leaped chasms and scaled
death; its tongue is lolling from its foaming
mouth. Faster the deer, faster the dogs, until
1t plunges into schroon Lake, and the hounds
head and mouth until the nostril is clean sub.
merged in the cool wave, and understand it:
'As the hart panteth for the water
Rss PeoaRe'hb oR Bring my me %%cr SSSi tU% nSr
that well Little child, who has learned Of
Jesus in the Sabbath school, bring me some of
thrt living water. Old man, who fifty years
ago didst find the well, bring me some of that
water, Stranger In strange laud, VINO used
TO hear sung amidst the Highlands Of Scot
lard to the tune q Bonnie Doom" 'rhe
OF that wafer Whosoever drinketh OF that
water shall never thirst. "Oh that one would
give me drink Of the water of the well OF
"hlSh ~ bD thc EuNt'
Again. this Gospel well, like the one spoken
OF in the text, Is CAPTURED well. David re-
membered the time when that good water of
Bethlehem was in the possession of his an
cettors. His father drank there, his mother
drank there. lie remembered how the water
tasted when he was boy. and came up there
from play, We never forget the old well we
used to Drink out of when We were boys or
girls There was something IN 1t that blessed
the lips and refreshed the brow better than
anything we have found siuce. As we think
Of that dear old well, the memories of the past
flow into each other ike crystalline drops,
sun ginted, and all the more as we
remember that the hands that used to
lay hold the rope, and the hearts that beat
against the we'll curb are still now. We never
get over these "reminiscences. George T..
Morris, the great song writer of this country,
once said to me that his song, "Woodman,
That Trpn In